A place of childrens' stories, funny blogs, unasked-for advice, stuff I've learned that might save you time and trouble, the perfect marriage (?), and other interesting stuff.

That Special Something

Everyone’s got something special about them. Even if we don’t see our ‘special-ness,’ others do. Back in grade school, there was one marginally retarded boy in our class. This was back in the times when there were no “special” classes; everyone was in the same room, learning the same things. While this boy had a hard time with most subjects and continually had to be told to be quiet, he had a special genius for knots.

I had seen him untangle a huge ball of Christmas lights (the owner was ready to throw them away), a cat’s cradle of string that was hopelessly knotted, even tangled copper wire. Nothing was too hard for him to put right. He was proud of his ability, and loved it when people brought him things to untangle.

It is a glorious thing when a person of any age discovers their talents and gifts. How sad it is when someone compliments someone on their talent, and they don’t feel that they deserve the compliment! Just because this talent comes easily doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile.

I have always loved words, and have always loved writing and reading. Words come easily to me, and for that I am grateful. It took me years to appreciate this about myself; thinking that these skills were pretty ordinary. (When it came to numbers, I was useless; still am. I don’t have a mathematical mind. I admire people who do; for me, it’s sheer cabalism.)

But that’s how it goes—each of us come to this world with certain gifts. There are people who from an early age can play music faultlessly, or can run miles without stopping, or can speak many languages effortlessly.

But we don’t know what we are capable of until we try. Sometimes the gifts we have are obvious, sometimes not. Imagine what life would be like if only you knew instantly what your talents were! Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Even if your only talent was untangling a knotted mess of string—it is still a gift.